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Practice Description
Mr. Jones is a Partner in Fross Zelnick's litigation practice, focusing on litigation in the areas of copyright, trademark, and unfair competition. Named a New York SuperLawyers Rising Star in 2012, 2013, and 2014, he represents clients on matters related to intellectual property rights across a range of industries, including publishing, fashion, entertainment, pharmaceuticals, and consumer products.

Education
Hendrix College (B.A. 2000, cum laude with distinction); University of Texas School of Law (J.D., 2004), Order of the Coif.

Professional Activities
Law Clerk to the Honorable Vaughn R. Walker, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California (2004-2005).;Member: Federal Bar Council (Intellectual Property Committee); New York State Bar Association - Intellectual Property Law; Adjunct Professor: New York Law School

Honors
Super Lawyers® 2017 New York Metro Rising Stars

Admissions
New York State
United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

Selected Cases

Following an evidentiary hearing, on behalf of client The Gap, Inc. and its Old Navy brand, the Firm was successful in defeating a motion for a preliminary injunction brought by plaintiff Hoop Culture, Inc. over its alleged EAT...SLEEP...BALL. trademark. The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida held that the plaintiff did not show a substantial likelihood of success on the merits of its claims on either ownership of a valid mark - despite the fact that it had a federal registration - or likelihood of confusion. The Court also held that plaintiff failed to establish the requisite irreparable injury. This decision was affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

The Firm successfully defeated a motion for a preliminary injunction motion on behalf of client Athleta, Inc., a leading retailer of women’s performance apparel and gear and part of The Gap, Inc.’s portfolio of companies. Plaintiff Body Wisdom Media, Inc. sought a preliminary injunction to stop Athleta’s use of a pinwheel design as a logo, alleging likelihood of confusion with Body Wisdom’s own pinwheel design logo used in connection with fitness DVDs. Athleta had adopted the challenged pinwheel logo seven years prior and had used it across its business since that time. The U.S. District Court in Maryland denied Body Wisdom’s motion, ruling that Body Wisdom was not likely to succeed on the merits of its infringement claim, because, inter alia, the parties’ goods are different and had coexisted under the respective marks without confusion for a number of years. The court also held that any injunction would harm Athleta, which uses the challenged pinwheel design across its entire business.

Represented Defendant Boundless Learning, Inc. (“Boundless”) in a recently settled case in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York brought by three publishers of college-level textbooks in biology, economics and psychology, respectively. The publishers claimed Boundless infringed Plaintiffs’ copyrights in violation of the U.S. Copyright Act and engaged in unfair competition and false advertising under the U.S. Trademark Act by creating free, electronic textbooks for students that covered the same factual concepts and topics as Plaintiffs’ textbooks and were marketed as alternatives to their products.

The Firm successfully represented our client, Frank Sinatra Enterprises, LLC, which holds the exclusive right to commercially exploit Mr. Sinatra’s name and likeness, in its challenge before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to Michigan-based caterer Bill Loizon’s attempt to register the mark FRANKS ANATRA in connection with his catering business.

The firm obtained partial summary judgment dismissing the plaintiff's entire $5.6 million claim for damages against our client Universal Music Corp. d/b/a Universal Music Publishing Group ("UMPG") in a license dispute concerning a celebrity fragrance for Prince, the famous recording artist.

On behalf of our client Clinique Laboratories LLC—owner of the famous CLINIQUE trademark in connection with cosmetics and cosmetic services—we successfully opposed Absolute Dental LLC’s attempt to register the trademark CLINIQUE DENTIQUE for “cosmetic dentistry services” with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

The firm obtained summary judgment in favor of client, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (“PETA”), dismissing copyright infringement claim brought against PETA in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on basis of alleged use in PETA animal rights campaign of historical facts and not-new idea of comparing mistreatment of slaves in 19th century America to mistreatment of animals today.

On behalf of our client Cadbury Adams USA LLC--maker of the famous DENTYNE brand of chewing gum--we defeated a motion for a preliminary injunction brought by plaintiff which sought to block the launch of Cadbury's new breath purifying gum, DENTYNE PURE, on the grounds that the name DENTYNE PURE was confusingly similar to plaintiffs' MENTOS PURE FRESH and MENTOS PURE WHITE names used for chewing gum.

Published Works

From Disparagement to Fame and Other Key Developments in U.S. Trademark Law

This article appeared in the 2016 edition of The International Comparative Legal Guide to: Trade Marks; published by Global Legal Group Ltd, London.Co-author: Karen Lim